Fwd: [GCLCC] Last day to submit comments on version 1 of the South Corvallis Area Plan
Miriam Edell
Begin forwarded message:
From: The Greater Crystal Lake Community Collaboration <the-greater-crystal-lake...@googlegroups.com>
Date: December 30, 2024 at 9:09:35 PM PST
To: The Greater Crystal Lake Community Collaboration <the-greater-crystal-lake...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [GCLCC] Last day to submit comments on version 1 of the South Corvallis Area Plan
Reply-To: the-greater-crystal-lake...@googlegroups.com
Hello neighbors, friends, and advocates,The last day for feedback on the first version of the South Corvallis Area Plan is Tuesday Dec. 31st. Let them know what you cherish about this place and what you envision for the future. Please submit your comments! Feel free to bcc: martp...@gmail.com with your letter.--You can copy the letter or riff with your own points. We need to be heard, so thank you for writing!The people to contact:Benton County Planning Commission:Petra Scheutz, Interim Community Development: petra....@bentoncountyor.govCity of Corvallis Planning:Sarah Johnson, Senior City Planner
Jason Yaich, Planning Division Manager
A letter you can use:Dear [City/County official],
In November, within a week of hearing for the first time about city planning department’s South Corvallis Area Plan (SCAP), 25 of my neighbors gathered to share their dismay. By writing to you today, I am adding my voice.
The SCAP calls for radically changing the south end of Crystal Lake Drive and beyond. It imposes RS-9 ("Medium Density") and RS-12 ("Medium-High Density") upon an area widely treasured for its quiet, rural feel. There are many reasons this is not the right plan for this place.
The SCAP would create intense development pressure by attracting big-money development companies. These companies don’t care about place – Corvallis, or this neighborhood. The Plan would destroy both the neighborhood's rural characteristics and, over time, dismantle a well-established neighborhood community.
We in the Greater Crystal Lake Community Collaboration are keenly aware of the need for affordable housing. And we are bringing to the table that there is land better suited for medium- to high-density housing, land that is already treeless and not an established neighborhood.
This area has assets that would be lost under this plan. At least 19 working gardens, the small farm, and the several small orchards are established on Class 1 soils – the best soil for growing food. These would be paved over. Households, neighbors, and the food bank all benefit from food grown here. It would take close to 100 years to replace several of the mature trees in this area. Neighbors treasure the dark sky in the absence of street lights. With the wildland creatures that wander through, this is a transition zone from built space into the Kendall Natural Area.
People from all over the city walk, bike, bird, and visit here exactly because of its characteristics – its country-in-the-city feel. This area is a treasure worth proactively, creatively preserve into the future for the physical and social space it offers everyone. It is not a place to make like everywhere else that is paved over, treeless with medium high-density buildings and bright lights.
The Transportation Plan (TP) calls for widening Crystal Lake Drive (CLD), dependent on higher density development. Today, CLD is like a multi-use corridor, with a connecting path from Bell. Bikers, walkers, and joggers outnumber autos. Even the Mayor will tell you that he chooses to bike commute on CLD because the traffic is low. As it stands, cutting the mature trees, widening the street, and making it car-centric is not climate conscious.
Instead, why not keep car traffic low and officially designate CLD as an Alternative Transportation Route, one that encourages foot and bike traffic and discourages through-traffic cars? What better solutions exist?
People most affected by these changes need to be deliberately engaged by the City in the planning process. Further, community and climate resilience need to be key characteristics of “Planning Principles” applied to the vision for this city, and specifically this area. Without these, Corvallis loses one more place that makes it a special place to live, work, and play all because we followed standard planning principles that don't have an eye toward keeping what makes a community and it's environs special.
Respectfully, [Your name here]
[Option: Identify as SouthTown resident or wider Corvallis resident who values this area]
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Miriam Edell
Begin forwarded message:
From: Martha Perkins <martp...@gmail.com>
Date: December 31, 2024 at 10:18:45 AM PST
To: miria...@gmail.com
Subject: Re: [south-corvallis] Fwd: [GCLCC] Last day to submit comments on version 1 of the South Corvallis Area Plan
I’m not sure what this is….Sent in error?
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christopher hedstrom
Hi everyone,
I don’t live on the section of Crystal Lake Dr that’s part of Part 10 in the SCAP , but I do use CLD as a motorist, cyclist and dog walker and live just south of there off Goodnight (I am making the assumption that the attached letter refers specifically to Part 10, so correct me if I am wrong). I attended the November open house but have not been part of the GCLCC discussions or meetings if they have occurred. If you don’t mind, I’m curious about a few points made in the letter for my own understanding of the situation:
- “We in the Greater Crystal Lake Community Collaboration are keenly aware of the need for affordable housing. And we are bringing to the table that there is land better suited for medium- to high-density housing, land that is already treeless and not an established neighborhood.”
- Is there an area you are referring to specifically, and why wouldn’t it *also* be used to build affordable housing? Looking at SCAP there are
a few proposed Parts than include changes to add residential areas, with one area (Part 16) that would change from MD Residential to open space agriculture.
- “At least 19 working gardens, the small farm, and the several small orchards are established on Class 1 soils – the best soil for growing food. These would be paved over.”
- Why would gardens or farms be paved over as part of this plan?
- “Instead, why not keep car traffic low and officially designate CLD as an Alternative Transportation Route, one that encourages foot and bike traffic and discourages through-traffic cars? What better solutions exist?”
- I couldn’t find info on this official designation, do you have more info? It appears that there is currently a plan to
make a bikeway in south Corvallis but I couldn’t tell you the status. Looks like it’s
project B47 on p 121.
- “People most affected by these changes need to be deliberately engaged by the City in the planning process.”
- The SCAP story map timeline mentions a couple of times it looks like that that they reached out for public comment and specifically mentions “Public input suggests residents' resistance to expansion of Crystal Lake Drive, change in street design”. Is this inaccurate? or is the current opposition based on the latest specifics?
Thank you for any additional info. To be clear, I’m not defending the city’s current plan or trying to criticize or argue against the points in the letter, but since I live off Goodnight and utilize Crystal Lake, I would like to be engaged and informed about issues in the area.
Chris
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